asked the Secretary of State for Air if emergency arrangements such as the guarding of civil and military aircraft by Royal Air Force personnel are still being maintained at the Royal Air Force Station at Khormaksar; if he will give an assurance that such security measures will be continued until it is certain that there is no further risk to aircraft or to civil and military passengers; and whether British security personnel have orders to search all outgoing civil aircraft.

The Royal Air Force is responsible for guarding military aircraft at Khormaksar. This is a continuous commitment which was in being before the recent incidents. The Aden Government provides airport police for the civil air terminal. The Royal Air Force has no responsibility for searching civil aircraft using the airfield.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what amounts have been treated by him as providing adequate returns, within the meaning of the 1947 Act, on fixed and working capital invested in agriculture for owner-occupiers and tenant farmers, respectively.

No estimates are made of the return on owner-occupiers' or tenants' capital but the adequacy of the return can be judged by the willingness of farmers to invest capital in the industry. For example, gross fixed investment in agriculture in 1962, the latest year for which figures are available, was £156 million compared with £93 million in 1952.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the tests undertaken on dead sheep in South-East England last month which provided the negative evidence for the suspected fluoroacetate poisoning; and what was the precise cause of their death.

In agreement with the owner, one sheep was slaughtered at the Ministry's Investigation Centre at Wye, Kent, on 20th February last. No abnormalities were seen on post-mortem examination. Chemical tests designed to detect elevated citrate levels in tissues taken from this animal were carried out at the Central Veterinary Laboratory with negative results. There was therefore no evidence that it this animal had had access to any toxic organic fluorine compound. Other sheep, from this flock were reported to have died, but my officers were not consulted and there was no post-mortem examination of these animals. The cause of their deaths is therefore not known.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the report of his veterinary officers who carried out post-mortem examinations on both cows and calves, comprising a complete dairy herd of 26 cows and eight calves, which perished recently from fluoroacetamide poisoning; and, in view of the fact that the calves were born strong and healthy, only to die of convulsions before they were 24 hours old, if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the full statement which my right hon. Friend made on 3rd February about the incident at Smarden, Kent, to which he is, no doubt, referring. The tests made by our Veterinary Investigation Officers were described in that statement. They did not include post-mortem examination of calves or of an entire herd.

asked the Minister of Defence how much of the water supply in the British sovereign territories in Cyprus is dependent on sources outside those territories.

At present the greater part of the water for the Sovereign Base Areas comes from sources outside the Areas. These sources, and the pipelines to the Areas, have the status of retained sites under the Treaty of Establishment.

asked the Minister of Education if he has any further progress to report on the establishment of a schools' council.

The working party set up by the representative meeting held on 19th July last has now completed its report. I am today sending copies to all the bodies represented on the working party so that there can be wide discussion of its contents before the representative meeting is reconvened to consider the report and reach conclusions on it. Copies are available for hon. Members in the Vote Office, and will be generally available through Her Majesty's Stationery Office next Wednesday.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will grant further aid to Nepal.

Yes. In October, 1963, the Government of Nepal asked Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the United States for help in improving their armed forces. Both

asked the Minister of Labour how many disabled persons, male and female, on the register in Wales were unemployed at the latest available date, giving an analysis of those suitable for ordinary employment, and those severely disabled, respectively; and if he will give comparative figures for the past 10 years.

The information required is given in the following table:we and the Americans have now decided to meet this request and the Government of Nepal has been told of Her Majesty's Government's willingness in principle to provide a limited amount of defence aid. In addition we have discussed the matter with the Government of India, which also supplies defence equipment to Nepal. The purpose of our aid, details of which still have to be worked out, will be to improve Nepal's internal security capability. It is separate from and additional to our economic aid to Nepal for which provision is currently made on the Foreign Grants and Loans Vote. The House will be informed of the cost of this service, which will be borne on the Foreign Service Vote, as soon as details are available, and will in due course be asked to vote the amount required by means of a Supplementary Estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what assistance has been requested by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman from Her Majesty's Government to end the incursions into his territory by the representatives of foreign oil companies during the past three years.

None. I am not aware that such incursions have occurred.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will now ratify the European Convention on Establishment, which was signed on their behalf on 13th December 1955.

As stated on 10th May, 1960, by my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Her Majesty's Government prefer not to take a decision about the ratification of this Convention, which has not yet entered into force, until they have been able to study the reservations and restrictions made by other countries as they ratify. Four States have so far ratified the Convention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government are giving to the British Olympic Association in order to ensure that the United Kingdom is worthily represented at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

In response to representations from the British Olympic Association, Her Majesty's Government have decided to make a grant-in-aid of £20,000 towards the Association's expenses in connection with this year's Olympic Games. This figure has been arrived at after close consultation with the British Olympic Association and Her Majesty's Government believe that this announcement will contribute to the success of the Association's appeal for funds from voluntary sources. This is in accordance with the policy of Her Majesty's Government that assistance from public funds should be given in appropriate cases to supplement and encourage voluntary effort in assisting British amateur teams participating in international sporting events overseas.Parliament will in due course be asked to vote the amount required by means of a Supplementary Estimate.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science if he will make available the evidence sent to the Robbins Committee by the five principals of Scottish universities.

Volumes of evidence to be published later this year will include memoranda from the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and from the Principal of the Royal College of Science and Technology, Glasgow, together with the record of the Committee's discussion with the Principals of Scottish universities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether the plans for the comprehensive redevelopment of the Covent Garden area take account of the removal of the St. Peter's, St. Paul's and St. Philip's Hospitals and the Institute of Urology which are to be rebuilt in another area in 1966–70.

My right hon. Friend understands that the London County Council, as local planning authority, is considering with the Westminster City Council and the Holborn Borough Council the possibility of comprehensive redevelopment of the Covent Garden area in the event of the market being moved to another site. No definite plans have been produced so far. The proposal to move the hospitals in question will no doubt be one of the factors taken into account by the local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will bring in a Bill to revise and consolidate the laws of burial and cremation.

As I explained in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. C. Johnson) on the 3rd March, a Bill is in preparation to be handed to the noble Lord, Lord Colville of Culross in place of the one which he withdrew last year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, taking the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling as 20s. 0d. in October, 1951, it had declined to 18s. 0d. in June, 1954, and to 15s. 11d. in June, 1957; and what was the comparable figure for February, 1964.

On the basis of the changes in the index of retail prices, the comparable figure for January, 1964, was 13s. 8d. The figure for February, 1964, is not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer below what annual income a family consisting of parents and three children are now receiving net subsidy from the State; and how many taxpayers have incomes below that figure.

would commend to my hon. Friend the article "The incidence of taxes and social service benefits in 1961 and 1962" published in the February, 1964, issue of Economic Trends. The figures given in Table 2 of this article suggest that in 1962, for a household of two adults and three children, the income below which benefits exceeded taxes was probably in the range of £1,196-£1,448. The number of households of that type in the sample was, however, too small for any estimate of the exact figures to be made. Estimates of the numbers of taxpayers in 1960–61 analysed by income range and family circumstances were given in Table 71 of the 105th Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue (Cmnd. 1906). Corresponding figures for 1961–62 will be given in the 106th Report, due to be published on 25th March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the number of letters which he received in his official capacity during the month ending 14th March, 1964; and what was the average length of these letters in words.

I have received some 1,200 letters dealing with subjects within my official responsibilities since 14th February. Of these 147 came from Members of this House. The length of these letters varied from a few lines to letters of several pages with numerous enclosures. It would require a disproportionate amount of time and labour to produce a realistic average length in words.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the amounts by which the maximum pensions now payable to individual civil servants, including increases under the Pensions (Increase) Acts, under and over the age of 70 years, respectively, who have retired after 40 years' pensionable service on 31st March in each of the years 1956 to 1961 in the grades of postman, clerical officer, executive officer, senior executive officer, and principal would each, respectively, need to be increased to reach the level of corresponding pensions for such service ended 31st March, 1963.

The amounts are as follows. London rates of pay have been used for service prior to 1st January, 1961, and outer London rates since that date. The amounts of the pensions

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are taken by the local medical executive committee to investigate complaints by patients against doctors before asking doctors to appear before them to answer these complaints.

The complaint—which must normally be made within six weeks of the event which gave rise to it—is first considered by the chairman of the Executive Council's Medical Service Committee. If in his opinion the complainer's statement discloses no prima facie ground of complaint, or is frivolous or vexatious, the complainer is so informed and is given an opportunity to submit a further statement. If no further statement is submitted, or if the statement submitted does not in the chairman's opinion render a hearing necessary, the case is brought before the Medical Service Committee which has power to dispense with a hearing and report on the matter forthwith to the Executive Council.It is only where, in the chairman's opinion, the complainer's original statement does disclose a prima facie ground of complaint or his later statement makes a hearing necessary, that the Medical Service Committee must hold a hearing at which the doctor and the complainer are invited to appear.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if a general practitioner is allowed legal representation or some other person to speak on his behalf when asked to appear before the medical executive committee because of a complaint from a patient.

Neither the general practitioner nor the complainer is allowed paid legal representation at the hearing of a complaint by a Medical Service Committee. It is, however, open to either party to have some other person such as a relative or friend, to assist him in the conduct of his case.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what representations he has received from organisations regarding the method of dealing with complaints against doctors by patients; what form these representations took; and what replies he has sent;(2) what plans he has for placing general practitioners on the same footing as consultants is with regard to complaints from patients; and what considerations he takes into account in deciding this matter.

Over the years the representative organisations concerned have made a number of suggestions for minor improvements in procedure. I hope to discuss with them shortly the amendment and consolidation of the regulations, but I am not aware of any proposals for a major change.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many complaints were made by patients against general practitioners in the years 1961, 1962 and 1963; and how many of these complaints were substantiated after investigation by the local medical executive committee.

The following table gives the information requested:—